SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's central bank on Thursday decided to leave the key interest rate at the current level of 2.25 percent for the third straight month.

In its monthly monetary committee meeting, the Bank of Korea reached a decision to keep the rate at the status quo despite wide forecasts it would conduct a rate hike amid growing inflationary pressure.

After the BOK abruptly revised up the key rate to 2.25 percent from a record low of 2 percent, ending the long-kept rate freeze for sixteen straight months, the BOK was expected to further hike the rate at least by 0.25 percentage point before the yearend.